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Saturday, 21 June 2014

My Hero - Drake Alexander from Dark Side of a Promise.

My intentions this week was (and still is) to feature guest author Jo Marshall with an excerpt from one of her Twig stories. Due to a technical glitch, Chapter 1 of her story Leaf and The Long Ice will only be available Monday, however, I am re-posting a short bio of my hero Drake Alexander from Dark Side of a Promise, for the weekend.

To really
understand who Drake Alexander is, we would have to journey back to Glasgow,
Scotland to the year 1911, when his great grandfather drank himself to death,
after all a liver can only filter so much poison before it finally stops
working. Joachim Alexander left his wife and seven children desolate,
therefore, Lucretia Alexander had no choice but to give up some of her children
to relatives or neighbors. She vowed none would go to an orphanage.

Drake’s
grandfather, Dominic, was the middle child and ended up living with his uncle,
his father’s bachelor brother. He was eleven when he moved in with Robert
Alexander, but everyone called the middle aged man Duff. Dominic never
discovered why.Disgruntled and grumpy
at the crick in his lifestyle, Duff was none too welcoming. The first weeks
were the hardest for Dominic, no sibs about although the quiet was not
unpleasant at times. He missed his little brothers the most, it was easy to
make them laugh. Alone at nights, the comfort of his own bed was not as satisfying
as the squirming of warm tiny bodies he shared his quilts with before. And he
missed his mother.

It wasn’t to say
that Duff was mean or uncaring, he actually liked the shy boy who smiled easy
and believed everything he said. He noted that Dominic was obedient and quite
smart, unlike his sot of a father. Duff was a fine cook and his haggis served
with “neeps and tatties” was the best the lad had ever eaten.Haggis is a tradition, Scotland’s national
dish. One of the first things Duff taught him was to prepare the sheep’s pluck,
add the oatmeal and minced onions, suet, salt and spices that made up the tasty
pudding.

Duff was a
goldsmith, his best friend Angus was a carpenter and the old maid that shared a
sheet with Duff on occasion was a teacher. The three of them molded the young
man over the next seven years. Dominic was taught to be frugal but not cheap,
how to repair and make gold and silver trinkets for those that had the money,
how to build a house, how to treat a lady, how to dance,

how to sip good
Scottish whiskey, how to stay away from trouble and how to make friends. By the
time his uncle died a tragic death when his home burnt to the ground near the
end of the First World War, Dominic had been forged into a respectful,
honorable and skilled man. The small fortune Duff left him did nothing to fill
the emptiness he felt, the bond of friendship had been broken.

At the end of the
War, Dominic followed the soldiers returning home to Canada. The ship he sailed
on docked in Saint John on December 19th, 1918. It was the same year
that the two largest railroads were merged by the federal government into the
Canadian National Railway. When he heard of the railway’s large shops in
Moncton, he spent his first Christmas in Canada at the Westmount Victorian
Hotel on Main Street. 1918 was also the year of the influenza pandemic in
Moncton. The New Year found Dominic one of the over three thousand sick but thankfully
not one of the 85 that died from the disease. He spent the first two weeks of
1919 in hospital on King Street in the east end of the city.Weak and recovering he moved into a rooming
house on Lutz Street. From there he developed his plan to buy his own land,
build his own business and settle in to his adopted city.

It didn’t take
long for Dominic Alexander to become a successful entrepreneur.Buying a parcel of land on the west end of
the city where there was no other businesses was a bit of a joke in the
community until the populace noticed an elegant building rising from the dirt
by a lone immigrant that spent his days from early morning until darkness
supervising the establishing of what would become Alexander’s Jewellery & Repairs
downstairs and his home upstairs. Only eight months from opening day, he
realized he would need additional staff, at least one full time. He hired a
young girl from Cocagne to be his sales clerk.

As fortune would
have it, he and Maria Desjardins fell in love.A pleasant seaside wedding preceded several children of which the oldest
was Jacob Alexander, Drake’s father.Jacob was like his Dad, sensible, honest to a fault and a good business
man. He and his father eventually opened several more stores. There had never
been enough time in Jacob’s life for love as he was just too busy. That changed
in 1950 when he was attending a jewellery show in New York and happened upon
the most amazing woman, Mellissa Wilbraham., the only daughter of another
jewellery family from Plymouth Massachusetts. Romance followed, a wedding,
amalgamation of the businesses and then a family. Drake came first then his
sister Glory. Tragedy followed, Mellissa died from complications and Jacob
brought up the children with the same dedication he placed on the family’s
fortunes. Jacob also hoped that one day, his son Drake would follow him into
the business but it never happened.

Imagine a small boy, about eight with big brown eyes and curly dark hair, standing at the fence that divides his grandfather Desjardin's land from his neighbor's. With bug-eyed fascination he watches a group of reservists, bedecked in battle gear, bivouacking near the forest at the end of the properties. he can see the sweat glistening from their brows in the hot afternoon sun; he can smell the diesel fumes from the large camouflaged six-wheelers that rumble through the furrowed fields. "War games", his papere has informed him, warning him to stay out of the way. One of the soldiers spots him along the fence and approaches him. The man is huge and muscled but stares at the boy with the kindest blue eyes.

The C7A1 assault rifle he carries gleams from the fresh bluing upon the barrel and polished stock. he gets close enough to the boy to toss a khaki beret with the Canadian Armed Forces crest blazing from the cap, telling the boy to keep it and dream of becoming a soldier. In fact, it inspires the lad to do that very thing and the hat, though tattered now, remains one of his treasured keepsakes.

Thirty years later the boy will be a toughened man with warrior skills hunting the wrong doer that killed his best friend's sister. This is Drake Alexander and you will meet him in my novel, the Dark Side of a Promise.

Watch Monday for guest author Jo Marshall with an excerpt from her novel Leaf and the Long Ice.

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SHORTS Vol.1

The Ship Breakers - Breaking gigantic ships by hand is dangerous and gruelling work. Many workers are children. The wages are low. ( This story received Honorable Mention in the WFNB's short story competition) Lloyd and the Baby - A bachelor finds an abandoned baby. What does he do with it? The Shattered Figurine - Detective Josephine (Jo) Naylor is told where to find the next body with a plea to help the killer stop this madness. The Two Grumpy Old Man Cafe - The meals are delicious, the atmosphere perfect and the insults are free. Available at Amazon. Please CLICK on the book cover.

SHORTS Vol.2

Five engaging short stories that will keep you wanting more by this author. *Four Boxes of Memories – Lloyd Minister moves to a nursing home with his most important possessions and he can’t take everything with him. *Reaching the Pinnacle - Grandfather and granddaughter hike the highest mountain in their province. Around the campfire, the young lady has something important to tell her Gramps. *Pioneers in a Hurry - A fond recollection of three grown men acting like boys on an all-night camping trip. Being mischievous comes naturally. *Near Dead - Detective Jo Naylor finds herself in the dark. She’s not alone. Someone wants her dead. *Six Jutlands and a Conestoga - The Verhoeven family have everything they own in a wagon, children and all. The mysterious west beckons. Available at Amazon. Please click on the book cover.

SHORTS Vol.3

Letting Go - a son deals with his deceased father's "boxes of memories". One Bedroom Ark - Noah Coyne owns a convenience story, the last customer of the night will change his life. Two Boys, One Wagon and a Secret - In the 50's, a young boy's pride was a red wagon. What do they discover one day when they are out filling it up with returnables? No Dying Today - Det. Jo Naylor and her partner search for the man that tried to kill her last night. The Food Bank - some people have too much food, others not enough.Available at Amazon. Please CLICK on the book cover.

Blooger's Award.

Thank you Susan Toy.

Family and Friends.

Nieces Pam Cottrell and Jackie Beers

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What's New?

Please check out the new Detective Jo Naylor serialization on the Page bar above. New additions coming soon. Follow the story here on the Scribbler.

Paperback copies of Dark Side of a Promise are available at Chapters - Regent Mall, Fredericton, NB. Cover to Cover in Riverview, NB. And from the Author.

Allan Hudson

About Me

My mother taught me to read, to like books, when I was very young. She also taught me how to write. I grew up in the country, even went to a one-room school which was right across the road from our house. She was the teacher. The days I missed were few. I enjoy reading and some of my favorite authors are Bryce Courtenay, Beth Powning, Dennis LeHane, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Cara Brookins, Susan Toy, Jason Lawson, Lockie Young, Chuck Bowie, Harlan Coben, Leon Uris and Herman Wouk.Writing is so much fun and even though I started later in life, I am so happy to realize my dream. Having this blog so I can share other people's work gives me great pleasure.

I've had many adventures in my life. I've travelled throughout North America, gone skydiving, rock climbing, wilderness camping. I craft stained glass and I enjoy woodworking. I'm blessed with many good friends. I live in the seaside community of Cocagne, New Brunswick, Canada. My wife's name is Gloria. My son's name is Adam and my stepsons' names are Christopher (Mireille) and Mark (Nathalie) Young. My grandchildren are Matthieu, Natasha and Damien. I love them all.Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy my blog. You can reach me by leaving a comment and/or your email address below and I'll respond.

A new Drake Alexander novel

Coming soon...

The Douglas Kyle Memorial Award for Fiction

My story - The Ship Breakers - received Honorable Mention in the Douglas Kyle Memorial awards for New Brunswick Writers Federation's short story category. It's featured in SHORTS Vol.1

The Dark Side of a Promise

Dark Side of a Promise is an edgy, international thriller. A tale of Revenge! Drake Alexander follows the trail of one of the world’s deadliest men which leads him to the unlikeliest locations – Bangladesh, the country of rivers. Bartolo Rizzato murdered his best friend’s sister. Why is he in Asia? It can only be to steal or kill! When Alexander finds him, will he deliver on his promise? (Go to comment box in Novel section above to see what one reader says about the novel) Only $4.99 from Amazon. Please CLICK on the book cover.